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Celebrating 10 years of the British Youth Travel Awards

Finalists

Entries

,348

Votes cast

Winners

The British Youth Travel Awards are our industry’s opportunity to reward our high achievers, gain recognition, and raise the profile of the work and individual successes of organisations engaged in youth, student and educational travel, to from and within the UK.

The number of entries in the 2017 competition grew by 41% a competition record! and our judges had a tough time in choosing who scooped the top spots, with some categories being separated by 0.5 of a point!

Congratulations to all those businesses and individuals that took the time to enter the competition.

With thanks to our sponsors

Finalists Comments

“The BYTA awards go from strength to strength each year – to be shortlisted as a finalist this year is finishing off a superb year for the WST Travel team – we are over the moon!”

Sian Belfield, WST School Travel

“We are absolutely thrilled to have won the award for Best Customer Service in 2017. It’s testimony to the excellent work that all of the LILA* Team do to make sure that every contact our students, partners and suppliers have is the best we can make it.”

Francesca Selsby, LILA* Liverpool

“We’re absolutely thrilled to receive the Silver Award in the Best Customer Service category at the 2017 British Youth Travel Awards. Customer service is at the core of everything we do at Smaller Earth and it’s great for our teams to be recognised for the brilliant work they do. Every year they go above and beyond to make sure all of our participants truly have the summer of a lifetime.”

Mark Hodgson, Smaller Earth

“To receive the Gold Award in the Rising Star category 2017 is amazing and humbling. I’m delighted to be recognised, but it would not be possible without the incredible support I receive from my employer and colleagues in a job that I love doing.”

Rebecca O'Hare, Campus Living Villages

“To have the work we do for our students recognised by the British Youth Travel Awards is enormously exciting and we are thrilled. Awards of this stature are rare and I am thrilled to be recognised”

Harry Spear, Caribbean Elective

“It is a great honour to be nominated in the Rising Star category at the British Youth Travel Awards 2017. I am deeply honoured and humbled to be selected as a finalist. A very special thank you to my peers and colleagues at Anglo Educational Services for their unconditional support.”

Yogesh Mistry, Anglo Educational Services

“We were absolutely thrilled, to have won the Best Educational Product category at this year’s British Youth Travel Awards! To be recognised by our industry peers, is an achievement in itself. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for us to shine the spotlight on our Scholarship Programme, sending the next generation of creative travel writers, filmmakers and photographers on exciting assignments with some of the best known names in journalism.”

Dave O'Malley, World Nomads Travel Scholarships

“British Youth Travel Awards finalists exemplify outstanding talent and distinguished businesses that make up this vibrant sector. Our visitors come from all over the UK, and for many it is their first trip to the Lake District. During their courses, students encounter our approach to ‘green tourism’. It is a unique educational product, enriched through an awareness of the special relationship between people and the environment. We are really pleased to be awarded the Bronze Award in 2017.”

Tim Foster Head of Centre FSC Blencathra

“Everyone at Oxford Royale Academy is delighted that ORA have received the Silver Award in the Best Educational Product category. Summer 2017 was our biggest and best summer to date, with students from more than 130 countries joining us in Oxford, Cambridge, London and Ascot. Independent recognition of the quality of our services by BETA is really important to us and our students past, present and future.”

Erica Tso, Oxford Royale Academy

“We are delighted and honoured to receive the Bronze Award for Best International Youth Destination for this year awards! France is a heaven for young travellers seeking to cross more exciting cities, tasty food experiences and adventures off their bucket list!

Marine Teste, France

“Tourism Australia is delighted to have scooped the top spot in the British Youth Travel Awards. The opportunities for Brits down under are boundless, ranging from some of the world’s best surf, to great sporting events and wildlife you can’t see anywhere else. Australian is home to some of the most rewarding youth travel experiences in the world. For those who want to combine travel with temporary work, Australia offers the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program, where young Brits can work and travel in Australia for up to two years.”

Denise von Wald, Regional General Manager, Tourism Australia

“We’re delighted to receive the Silver Award for Best International Destination. Germany offers so much for young people – the chance to explore our exciting cities, where history comes to life alongside the latest innovations, or discover our amazing landscapes. One trip won’t be enough!”

Denise Auer, Germany

“We’re absolutely delighted to receive the Silver Award for Best Marketing in 2017, there have been more entries than ever before and the standard of entries just gets better and better. We’re extremely proud to be recognised alongside such esteemed brands in travel.”

Rachel Ramsay, YHA (England & Wales)

“Busabout is thrilled to have been awarded ‘Best Marketing’ at the 2017 British Youth Travel Awards (BYTA). BYTA recognises the outstanding organisations in youth, student and educational travel, and we’re proud that the panel of judges agreed that our ‘Best Job in the World Ever’ UGC campaign was best in class. With this industry validation we’ll keep pushing toward real and authentic storytelling in everything we do.”

Duncan Robertson,Busabout

“Receiving the Bronze Award at the Youth Travel British Awards for the Best Marketing category means a lot to the whole Londonist Team. All our marketing activities, directly and indirectly, aim to highlight the whole British Youth Travel Industry and to bring additional value to it. This is a very dynamic and fast-paced industry and we are extremely proud to be part of it.”

Anna Bonisoli Alquati, Londonist DMC

“We’re absolutely thrilled to receive the Silver Award for Best Support Service in this year’s British Youth Travel Awards. It means so much to us, especially as such a new company, to be recognised by so many great names in the industry.”

Walker Pappin, Vagaband

“We are absolutely thrilled to have scooped the Gold Award in the Best Support Service category. The team at NST is constantly looking for innovative ways to improve the customer journey and to be shortlisted for this award is wonderful recognition of our recent technology developments to further enhance the customer experience.”

Michelle Evans, NST Travel Group

“Chuffed to bits to receive the Bronze Award for the Best Support Service 2017! Having seen the list of finalists truly honoured to be part of this group’.

Jimmy Greene, GTi Travel Group

‘It’s a great honour to make the shortlist for this award for the second year running, particularly given the increasingly strong competition in the field. To be featured amongst the best in the industry and be recognised by our peers is a great reward and something we’re very proud of for what’s been a very successful campaign for us via social media and mobile.’

Ben Lancaster, St Christopher's Inns

“It feels amazing to have being shortlisted for all our effort in making people realise their dreams to come to London and have the time of their lives.

Faustine Pages, London Nest

“Here at the Kaya office each year we look forward to December with bated breath, eager to see if we made it to the shortlist again. When that email comes in from BETA we have a drum roll and for the past 5 years a big cheer has gone up when we see our name on that list. For our team, receiving the Silver Award for “best Volunteering Abroad organisation” is a real recognition of the hard work and dedication everyone here has for delivering only the very best volunteer programs for our participants and our communities.”

Heilwig Jones, Kaya Responsible Travel

“The team at Pod Volunteer is incredibly excited and happy to have been chosen as a the winner of the Best Volunteer Organisation 2017. We are incredibly dedicated and passionate about being at the leading edge of ethical organisations in our industry so this recognition means a lot to us, especially given the quality and quantity of entries!”

Alex Tarrant, Pod Volunteer

“Proud that Madventure International has been shortlisted at the 2017 British Youth Travel Awards taking part in London next month. A huge thanks to everyone who has been on one of our international service projects or a corporate social responsibility project this year and who made this possible. It is fantastic to be given an independent accolade from your peers and we are humbled by this nomination. Well done MAD Tribe!”

John Lawler, Madventure International

“We are delighted that Edinburgh has been crowned the winner of the Best UK Youth Destination category at the 2017 British Youth Travel Awards.”
“To be voted into the top three UK destinations for young travellers is a fantastic accolade ahead of Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018. From internships to school visits, study holidays to gap years, Edinburgh and indeed Scotland offers a fantastic mixture of both traditional and contemporary experiences for all ages. Scotland’s forthcoming themed year will offer even more opportunities for young people to create lasting memories whilst taking in the fantastic variety of things to see and do in Edinburgh and beyond.”

Festival Edinburgh

“Marketing Cheshire are thrilled that Chester has been nominated for the British Youth Travel Awards, Best UK Youth Destination. Chester has always been a safe, fun and welcoming city, buzzing with nightlife and culture.”

Rebecca Wainwright, Marketing Cheshire

“We are absolutely thrilled to receive the Silver Award in the Best Leisure Product category at the British Youth Travel Awards 2017.”

Anne Rabbits, BBC Tours at MediaCityUK

“ What a ‘hair-raising ride’ this last year has been! We are so excited to receive the Bronze Award for Best Leisure Product for young travellers!”

Andrea Larotella, ArcelorMittal Orbit

“We are delighted to have won the Best Leisure Product category at the British Youth Travel Awards. This is an important audience for the Studio Tour and one that has a special connection with Harry Potter.”

Hannah Judge, Warner Bros Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter

‘We are extremely excited to have won the Gold Award for Best Accommodation. It means a lot to gain recognition from our friends and partners within the industry for all of the hard work we have put in over the last few years.’

Sophie Herbert, St Christopher’s Inns London Bridge

“We are thrilled to bits to receive the Bronze Award in the Best Accommodation category at the #BYTA17. As a new, independent hostel we are hugely proud to have been recognised by such an experienced panel of judges.”

Lee Strickland, Cohort Hostel

‘We are over the moon to receive the Silver Award in a year when competition has been so stiff! It is a testament to all the hard work the Hatters team have put in over the past 12 months!”

Will Carey, Hatters at Hilton Chambers

“I am thrilled to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award. I started Ardmore in 1984 and 4 years later in 1988 my then colleague Richard Tobias persuaded me to attend the FIYTO ( now WYSTC) conference in Beijing. I was doubtful but agreed and then began Ardmore’s journey into the world of English Language Courses for overseas students – the rest is history. I have had a number of mentors over the 33 years but at times like these I will always remember Richard and feel it fitting that I dedicate this award in part to him.”

David Walker, Chairman, Ardmore Language Schools

‘We’re so thrilled to receive the Silver People’s Choice award, especially with a 41% increase in submissions this year!

Sophie Mullender, Camp America

“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do at Hostelworld so we are thrilled to have been announced as the winners of the British Youth Travel People’s Choice award. To know that our customers have voted for to the top spot is fantastic!”